Italy’s foreign minister to deliver address at UW’s Rome Center

Franco Frattini, Italy’s minister of foreign affairs, will deliver an address titled Immigration and the Rights of Immigrant Workers at the UW’s Rome Center, Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. The visit is being sponsored by the UW Office of Global Affairs and the UW program of Law, Societies, and Justice.

Frattini has been a member of the government since 2001 and has served as foreign minister since 2002. He also has served, from 2004 to 2008, as a commissioner for justice, freedom and society on the European Commission, the executive body for the European Union.

“We are honored to be able to host Minister Frattini at our center in Rome,” said Stephen Hanson, UW vice provost for global affairs. “We have been a guest in his country for many years and all of our students who have studied in that historic city have had a transforming experience. The Rome Center is our most vibrant presence abroad, and Minister Frattini’s visit underscores its importance to our academic programs.”

The Rome Center, located in the historic Palazzo Pio at the Campo dei Fiori, is now in its 25th year of use by the UW. It has 18,000 square feet of living, instructional and support facilities that are organized to serve a range of academic needs. Many UW departments now bring groups of students to Rome to study for periods varying from one month to one academic quarter. Currently, 18 UW programs are offered through the Rome Center. The Rome Center provides a unique scholarly work place in Rome’s historic center. More information can be found here.

The 25th anniversary of the Rome Center will be celebrated with a special event at the Seattle Art Museum Oct. 17. Details are available here.